Report - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

IMPROPER STEERING ENDANGERS DRIVERS
WITH ANTILOCK BRAKES!
Improper steering in vehicles equipped with antilock brakes (ABS) can send the
vehicle veering dramatically out of control, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
has found. "When drivers are about to hit something, they often panic, jam on the
brakes, and jerk the wheel," says David K. Willis, president of the AAA
Foundation for Traffic Safety. "If the car has antilock brakes it will respond to the
extreme steering and run off the road."
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety tested cars with and without antilock
brakes. At 35 mph, a panic stop combined with a violent jerk of the steering
wheel caused an ABS-equipped car to dart across two lane widths, enough to
send the vehicle into oncoming traffic or off the roadway. The same action in a
car without antilock brakes locked the wheels so the car skidded forward in the
lane but hit the obstruction.
"In a study of crash records the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) found that ABS cars had more single-vehicle, run-off-the-road crashes
than cars without ABS," Willis says. "The cars without ABS had more crashes
with other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists."
The Foundation's tests, conducted on August 26, 1997 at the Transportation
Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio, apparently confirm the theory that while
ABS allows drivers to steer around an obstacle in an emergency, too much
steering -- such as from jerking the wheel while braking -- sends the vehicle out
of control.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety urges all drivers who have antilock brakes
to practice using them before they get into an emergency. "ABS brakes can be a
real lifesaver," Willis says. "But they're not like regular brakes. The only way to
understand how the brakes work is to practice sudden stops in a safe situation,
on both wet and dry pavement," Willis says. Drivers should take their vehicles to
a parking lot with no obstructions, bear down on the brakes, and practice
steering.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a not-for-profit charitable organization
funded by donations from AAA and CAA clubs and members. It is devoted to
preventing crashes and saving lives through research and education in the field
of traffic safety.
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Last updated on June 21, 2004